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Word by Billy Graham: After I said I was writing a book about how we can be sure we are going to heaven, she marveled, “You mean you can know that you are going to heaven?” Realizing God had opened a door for me to tell her about Christ, I reinforced that we can know for certain our eternal destiny, saying, “We can afford to be wrong about going to Sisters, Oregon, but not about going to heaven.” The truth is, we can be sure about where we will spend eternity. We can know with certainty that when we die, we will go to heaven. But how can we be sure? Many people struggle with the certainty of their salvation, especially new believers. How can we know where we stand with God? The Bible teaches that the assurance of salvation rests securely upon four unshakable pillars: Pillar 1: God Cannot Lie!First, assurance is based on the absolute trustworthiness of Scripture. Throughout the New Testament, we read God’s promises to save all who will believe upon His Son. The Bible says, “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is a promise! All who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ may have the firm confidence of salvation based upon the infallibility of God’s Word. Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” If you come to Jesus with genuine repentance and faith, He promises that He will save you. We can know Jesus has received us because, quite simply, He said so! When the Bible speaks, God speaks. And what God said, He will surely do. He will save all who call upon Jesus Christ. You have His word on it. Pillar 2: Jesus Paid It AllSecond, assurance rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, He bore our iniquities, enduring God’s wrath, and cried out, “It is finished!” By this, He meant that the full atonement for all our sins-past, present and future-has been made. His work of redemption now completed, our entire sin debt is paid in full. Just as salvation comes from believing in Christ alone, so does assurance. As we trust in Christ’s perfect sacrifice for our sins, the certainty of eternal life floods our hearts. No matter how great your sin, God’s grace is greater still. The Bible says, “Come now, and let us reason together. … Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. Pillar 3: The Great ConvincerThird, assurance comes through the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. A divinely produced gift, assurance is bestowed by God’s Spirit to all true believers. It is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to convince our hearts of our salvation. In actuality, no preacher, evangelist, parent or friend can give us assurance. Neither can we work it up within ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit Himself can give us the absolute certainty of our eternal salvation. The Bible says, “We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He has given us.”… “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” … “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” This means, the Holy Spirit who convicted, called and converted us also convinces us that we belong to Christ. It is the Spirit’s inward witness that persuades us of the genuineness of our salvation. Pillar 4: New Life in ChristFourth, assurance comes through the evidence of a changed life. Ultimately, assurance is confirmed within us as we see God conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. All who have been born again will see clear evidences of a new life in Christ. While we will never become perfect in this life, we will, nevertheless, experience a changed life. It is this inward transformation that provides strong confirmation of our salvation.
The book of First John details what are the vital signs of our new life in Christ. The Apostle John writes, “We know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” In other words, we may be certain that we know Christ as we see within us a desired and willing obedience to God’s Word. Likewise, John writes, other vital signs will follow: Love for other people, love for God, refusing the world, understanding biblical truth, righteous behavior, opposition from the world and answered prayer. As we see this spiritual fruit produced in our lives, we may be confident that Christ lives within us. Here are the four sturdy pillars on which the assurance of our salvation rests. Giving “full assurance of hope” regarding our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, these pillars provide unshakable confidence of eternal life. As I told the woman on the plane, we can be wrong about earthly directions but not about our eternal destiny. In our salvation we must be sure. Assurance of salvation is God’s blessed gift for all who believe: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.” Be absolutely sure! 
Dear Friends,
Today is the time to set new goals. Let them be natural or spiritual God wants to bless your life in a greater way. Believe God today! And you can do this by believing God's Written Word. Last year Modesta Laureano graduated and we congratulate her in her recent achievement. Keep up the good work and seek God with all your heart! You see, 2014 is here for a short period and we can make every minute count. Let's believe in God in a greater way. Together we can make a difference in someone's life. I would like to encourage you to find a local church and submit to a pastor, if you have done this already. This is an important step towards growing in God. Again, ONE CHURCH and ONE PASTOR -- this is essential. Then you must follow-up by being faithfulness to the church. In doing so you will gain spiritual maturity and that is when the blessings of God will come to you in a marvelous way instead of you hunting them. In God's love, Pastor Rey During hard times sometimes we can loose sight of Here are a few thoughts worth thinking... from Zig Ziglar. A man who impacted many people by rebuilding those who heard his messages: The gunman's father released a statement on Saturday. The nation is facing major problems because there is decay in our society. The root of the problem is called “NO GOD” which leaves people open to do much evil. Evil that cannot be fully explained, so the absence of God’s presence in the hearts of people is what causes those things that are NOT rational to our human nature. Today we mourn precious children and young adults also who gave their life in the attempt to safe others. They are HEROES! Today take time to pray for the people of the Northeastern States. Let this natural event that has hit America be one that can unite us. Let us believe God for His Mercy to be in the midst of this crisis. We are looking for God's help during such a time of great loss. -- Pastor.
Let your mind think on this statement and take the time to reflect!
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